


Like A River

by MoonySideDown



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Child Abandonment, Far Future, Future Fic, Gen, Inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender, Orphans, Post-Avatar: The Last Airbender, Post-Avatar: The Legend of Korra, i have no idea what i'm doing with this fic excuse me, i'm really just making it up as I go, it's the new avatar everyone give it up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-08-09 23:08:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16458788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonySideDown/pseuds/MoonySideDown
Summary: Hundreds of years in the future, long after the passing of Avatar Aang and Avatar Korra, the current avatar has passed and the world is searching for the next in line. That special person is destined for a life of fame, riches, and untold glory, not to mention power.But what happens when she doesn't want to be found?





	Like A River

  “ _ Here with the latest on the search for the new Avatar, is our own Ana Storms! Ana?” _

 

 

_   “Thanks Kim. I’m here outside the former home of Avatar Rin, which has changed rapidly from the peaceful dwelling it once was to a frenzy of activity. Right here behind me you can see the bustle of politicians, ambassadors, advisors, and most of all security moving around the area. It’s been almost an entire week since Rin passed away, and so far there has been no sign of a new Avatar. Some are concerned that the legendary cycle has ended, although most experts are saying it’s simply too soon to tell.” _

 

 

  Kyoshi General Hospital sat at the edge of the city, perched as if to watch over the inhabitants, decorated with a massive red cross to make sure everyone could tell that the sleek white building was a hospital.

 

 

  It was a quiet night, even in the emergency department, and Li, the receptionist at the tall desk by the entrance had run out of things to do. She was distracting herself with a game on her phone when the  _ swoosh _ of the front doors caught her attention.

 

 

  A figure in black stood in the doorway, contrasting so sharply against the clean whites and grays of the lobby that it looked like death itself had entered the hospital.

 

 

  After the initial surprise had faded, the figure resolved itself into a girl in her late teens, wearing a baggy gray hoodie over ripped black jeans. The hood was pulled over her head and slightly over her eyes, and she was clutching a backpack to her chest. She glanced around, then approached the desk hesitantly.

 

 

  “Can I help you?” Li asked in the gentle and calm voice she used for panicking patients. This girl was likely a runaway of some sort, maybe escaping abuse.

 

 

  “I...um…” Her voice was soft and crackly, like she didn’t use it much. It also sounded much younger than she looked. “I found...this...out-outside. In a dumpster, I think. Um...yeah. She seems okay but...yeah.”

 

 

  She held out the backpack and the receptionist realized there was a baby tucked inside, wrapped in what looked like an old t-shirt, sleeping.

 

 

  Li reached for the phone.

 

 

_ “Of course up until three years ago it was considered impossible to know if a baby would develop any sort of bending ability until they displayed them naturally. These days, however, most hospitals are adopting the Asitaben Test as part of a newborn’s initial screenings. The test is able to, so far, accurately measure if the baby has any bending abilities that might be displayed later. With this technology, experts hope to locate the newest Avatar within the next few days.” _

 

 

__ Covering the mouthpiece of the phone with one hand, Li pointed to the waiting area on the other side of the entrance. “Would you mind waiting right there until the doctor comes down?”

 

 

  The girl looked up at her, eye wide in the shadow of the hood. After a moment she swallowed hard and turned to look around the room, like she was afraid a doctor or security guard would jump out to attack her at any moment. “Um, sure, okay.”

 

 

  “Thank you.”

 

 

  While Li tried to explain to the nurse on the phone what was going on, she kept her eyes on the girl. She wandered over to the chairs, looking at the doors every couple of steps or so. She sat, and kept shifting the backpack around in her arms like she wasn’t sure how to hold it.

 

 

_ “Hospitals all throughout the world are being given these testing machines to hopefully speed up the process of locating the baby with this special ability. Once they are found, they and their family will be brought here, to the Avatar’s estate, where the child can be kept safe.” _

 

 

  After hanging up the phone Li stared at it for a moment to gather her thoughts. This wasn’t the first baby left at the hospital by a long shot but it was the first one she was dealing with. She took a deep breath and turned to look across the waiting area at the girl and her backpack baby.

 

 

_ “Experts here are telling us that the baby should be a girl, and only about a week old. But considering the amount of babies being born throughout the world at any one time, this search might not be easy.” _

 

 

  The girl was gone.

 

 

  Li stood, heart skipping several beats.

 

 

  The door to the exam rooms opened, and Quinn, one of the nurses, stepped out.

 

 

  “Where is she?”

 

 

  Li hurried out from behind her desk and rushed across the polished marble floor to the waiting area. The backpack was still there, laying on the hard plastic seat.

 

 

  Quinn followed her, and Li gently held the backpack open. The baby was sleeping, still young enough to be slightly curled in on herself, wisps of fine dark hair sticking out in all directions. While the pair stared down at her, vaguely dumbfounded, she squirmed in her improvised blanket, then opened her eyes just a bit.

 

 

  “What happens to her now?” Li asked softly.

 

 

  Quinn lifted the baby out of the backpack and cradled her gently. “She gets checked out, then turned over to the care of the state. Then, hopefully, adopted.”

 

 

  Li nodded. Her heart went out to the little baby girl, and to the girl who had left her. She’d most likely done the right thing, leaving the baby at the hospital where she could get all of the proper care instead of being out on the streets with a teenage runaway. But it was sad all the same. She could only hope she was adopted quickly, with no memory of her time spent in the system.

 

 

  She watched Quinn carry her across the lobby to the door for the exam areas, then turned to look out of the front doors. Part of her half expected the girl to be outside, watching what was going on. But there was no one. Only the rain dribbling off the awning outside and the trees blowing in the wind.

 

 

_ “Some have said that it feels like a treasure hunt, and no one knows how long it might go on. There have been several leads so far, but they’ve all been confirmed to be the result of faulty equipment giving false readings. The experts here are being exceedingly careful about what information they give out, but they assure us that the moment the Avatar is found, the world will know. Live from Avatar Island, I’m Ana Storms, back to you. _ _ ” _

 

 


End file.
